


The Wanderer

by just_quintessentially_me



Series: We Who Found Home [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alternate Universe - Dystopia, Bad Ass Hanji, Dystopia, F/M, First Meeting, Mad Max AU, Minor Violence, Prequel, Who killed the world??, emotionally constipated levi, more importantly - who will save it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-29
Updated: 2016-03-29
Packaged: 2018-05-30 00:16:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6399925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/just_quintessentially_me/pseuds/just_quintessentially_me
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Prequel to We Who Found Home</p><p>In the unforgiving desert, Hanji and Levi have a violent first meeting.</p><p> </p><p>"The hall was dim, lit only by the invisible source of light around the bend. In the dark, he was just able to make out messy brown hair and a gray, ratty jacket.</p><p>His attacker – the woman – Hanji? Rolled once and was back on her feet. She charged him with a shout.</p><p>Hopping back, he threw up his hands. “I’m not here to fight you, damn it!”</p><p>She barreled straight into him. As her shoulder struck his chest, the air left his lungs in a wheezing cough. His boots slid over rock as he struggled to remain on his feet. He grabbed for her hair, but then the shoulder against his sternum was gone. Instead, a fist flew at his face."</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Wanderer

He had sand in his _fucking_ pants.

Levi trudged between dunes, awkwardly kicking his leg with each step – a futile attempt to dislodge the last of the stubborn grains.

It wasn’t the first time he’d gotten sand in his clothes, and it certainly wouldn’t be the last. But god damn, it was annoying.

The sandstorm had caught him unaware. A heady wind from the East had brought the storm roaring over the desert sands. He’d had no more than a few minutes warning before it hit.

There was no chance of escape – not in his shit vehicle, anyway. The best he could do was tarp the top and hunker down inside.

Luckily, the storm hadn’t lasted for more than a few minutes. And yet it had still managed to deposit a decent fucking amount of sand it some pretty damn uncomfortable places.

Grimacing, Levi gave another jerking kick.

Fucking sand.

Shading his eyes, he tipped his head back. A steep, rocky hill loomed ahead. This was the place. Or it should be. Assuming the traders who’d given him directions weren’t full of shit.

Giving his leg one last shake, he trudged towards the steep slope.

Erwin had sent him out in search of a woman. According to the traders at Junk Market, she was supposedly the best mechanic around. And they needed a mechanic – bad. His car was on its last legs. He doubted it would last another 50 miles in its current state.

More importantly, they would need a mechanic for the journey.

About a year ago, Erwin had gotten it in his head that he was going to find livable land; a place, somewhere amidst the wasteland, where the soil and water wasn’t diseased.

Levi didn’t particularly believe such a place existed. But Erwin had gotten Mike and Nanaba excited about it. So Levi would suck it up and go along with the scheme, however far-fetched it may be.

And that meant helping them find a mechanic for this god-forsaken trip. What had the traders called her? Hanji…Something?

And so here he was, climbing a dry, rocky mountain in search of a miracle mechanic – who may or may not even want to join them on their risky venture.

Halfway up the hillside, he found the cave. The narrow opening was sandwiched between two large boulders. The gap stretched tall; as if the hillside had opened its mouth in a gaping yawn.

With a hand on his weapon, Levi cautiously leaned in. Inside was impossibly black. The air felt thick and cold.

Digging a torch from his bag, he sniffed the air. Damp.

Once lit, the torch’s flickering light conjured shadows. When he moved, they danced, eerie, upon the walls.

The narrow cave, dim and quiet, looked like it could extend well into the hillside. So far there was no sign of the supposed inhabitant.

Resting his hand on his gun, Levi proceeded down the narrow path. He walked for a minute. Two minutes. Five minutes. Ten.

Torch extended in front of him, Levi slowly continued through the extensive cave. With every step, gravel and dirt crackled and crunched beneath his boots. As he walked, he listened, ears straining for the slightest sound.

All the while his torch flickered and flared, painting odd patterns across the walls.

He’d turned a corner and was approaching another bend when he realized - glowing at the end of the passage was a second source of light. Where the path curved just ahead, the walls flickered, illuminated beneath a pale glare.

Levi instinctively lifted the gun. Stepping carefully forward, he rolled, silent, through each step. Before turning the corner he raised his voice and called out for the mechanic, “Hanji! Are you there? I’ve come to-”

Before he could finish the sentence, something struck his back. Hard. As he slammed into unforgiving stone, the torch was snuffed and his gun skittered across the floor.

His palms slid painfully over the cold rock. As his face was shoved down, a sharp stone dug into the soft flesh of his cheek.

Growling, he pushed himself violently back – and hit a body. They reacted with a guttural shout. Before he could turn, a lithe arm snaked around his neck.

Throwing a hand up, he managed to wedge his wrist between his windpipe and their arm. Gasping, he kicked out against the nearest wall. Together, they slammed back against stone. His attacker gasped. The arm restraining him loosened.

Gripping the arm in a rough grasp, Levi wrenched it forward. He dropped to a knee and they toppled forward, straight over his shoulder.

The hall was dim, lit only by the invisible source of light around the bend. In the dark, he was just able to make out messy brown hair and a gray, ratty jacket.

His attacker – the woman – Hanji? Rolled once and was back on her feet. She charged him with a shout.

Hopping back, he threw up his hands. “I’m not here to fight you, damn it!”

She barreled straight into him. As her shoulder struck his chest, the air left his lungs in a wheezing cough. His boots slid over rock as he struggled to remain on his feet. He grabbed for her hair, but then the shoulder against his sternum was gone. Instead, a fist flew at his face.

His palms shot up. He grabbed the fist on instinct. Slapping his other hand over her wrist, he twisted.

She cried out and dropped to her knees – and promptly head butted him in the gut.

“For _fucks_ sake-” Clutching his stomach, he attempted to pin her down one handed, but she tugged his arm and he found himself once again face-down on the cavern floor.

Before she could pounce, he rolled and kicked. Her feet slipped out from under her, and then she was on her back.

Levi rolled up, and there it was. He grabbed up his gun in a two-handed grasp. Hands steady, he leveled it at her. “Don’t move.”

She froze.

Half-crouched on the ground, she panted, watching him with narrow, slitted eyes. Her hand twitched toward her hip.

“Don’t even think about it.”

The hand dropped.

Beneath the gray jacket, she wore a simple tank and a pair of worn pants. Apart from her wild hair, the most distinctive thing about her appearance was a pair of round, thick goggles that she wore perched atop her head. When she shifted, the rusted metal rims caught the light.

Chest heaving, she knelt, and there was wildness about her. She watched him with the quiet energy of a cornered creature intent on an approaching predator. But then again, he might have had it backwards. The way she was looking at him, eyes hard and lip curled, he felt an awful-fucking-lot like the prey in this scenario.

When he shifted, re-gripping the weapon, she stared him down, defiant. White teeth flashed. “You won’t touch me. Not while I’m alive to fight you.”

The words were spoken, virulent and venomous, and with such force that he actually stepped back. He lowered the gun half an inch, momentarily thrown. “I don’t – I’m not,” he hesitated, struggling. He’d come to find and talk to this woman because of Erwin’s god damn request, and here he was fucking threatening her. He wasn’t supposed to be that person. Not anymore.

Pressing his lips together, he started again, “I just came to talk.”

“Why the gun?” she said, voice laced with suspicion.

“I didn’t know if you’d try to kill me.”

Despite his words, she eyed the weapon between them with distrust.

Lifting a hand to show he had no ill intent, Levi slowly lowered the gun. Meeting her gaze, he carefully tucked it back into his pants. He could only hope putting away the weapon wasn’t inviting a second attack.

“I just came to talk.” He lifted his hands, palms flat for emphasis. “So don’t fucking jump me again.”

Slowly, she stood. “What did you come to talk about?”

“I heard you’re good with vehicles.”

It was like a switch had been flipped.

She stood up straight. Her mouth popped open and her eyes went round and wide. Even in the dim light, they seemed to gleam.

“You have a car for me?”

Levi stared. Her shift in mood was as sudden as it was absolute. Every ounce of her suspicion seemed to have at once been replaced with clumsy, eager curiosity.

“…I do. But also a proposition.”

Rubbing her skinned hands absently against her pants, she nodded, jerky and quick. “Right. We’ll talk in here.”

Incredulous at the turn of events, Levi followed, palming his sore cheek as he walked. The passage curved and he jerked to a stop.

It was…it was unlike anything he’d ever seen. The passage ended here. The room was rounded and small and it was filled to the brim with _things_.

Levi’s eyes roved over the room and with every pass he found something new. A shelf, which looked to be made of planks stacked on mismatched, broken bricks, was filled with all manner of mechanical trinkets. There were gears of all shapes and sizes, devices that looked like miniature motors, and an array of machines that sprouted colorful wires, for which he had no name.

Another small shelf held stacks of paper. But paper wasn’t relegated to that single four by four space. Papers with complex diagrams were strung up on the walls, a stack looked to be wedged in the folds of a moth-eaten chair, and there were a handful of leaflets scattered across the floor.

Levi lifted his foot to discover he’d trodden upon a sheet of notes on – he squinted down – the history of…imperialism?

The fuck.

“You are Hanji Zoe, right?”

She’d been grabbing up a few of the scattered papers, but when he said the name, she popped up. “Yes! Sorry-” shuffling the messy stack of papers into one hand, she hurried across the room.

He stepped back. The trauma of her last charge was still fresh in his memory.

But this time he wasn’t met with her bony shoulder. Instead, she held out a hand. “Hanji Zoe at your service.”

The hand that extended towards him was stained with dirt and what appeared to be patches of oil. There was a substance under her nails that he couldn’t identify.

She held her hand out, waiting.

Reluctantly , he met her hand and returned the shake. “Levi.”

“Levi,” she repeated. From her mouth, his name was weighted with a sense of gravity. One, he felt, it didn’t particularly deserve.

“You’re not-“, he paused, trying to think of a diplomatic way to ask his question. When none presented itself, he continued on, blunt, “You’re not worried about me attacking you?” He clarified, “Not anymore?”

Hanji shrugged. He noticed she’d averted her eyes. “In this life, to an extent, you’re always going to wonder if the person beside you might one day try to take your life.” She looked up. “But you. You’ve brough me a project. So, for now, I’m willing to risk it.” And then, she smiled.

Levi blinked. There was something…appealing about her. Hanji Zoe, the woman who lived alone with her papers and machines. She was strange, that was certain, but she exuded an undefinable energy. Levi didn’t understand it, and couldn’t explain it if he tried, but some part of him wanted desperately to know her.

Hanji perched her hands on her hips. “So what do you have for me?”

“A jeep. Well, it’s mostly a jeep.” He held up his hand, cutting her off before she could speak. “But we’re also looking for a mechanic to join us.”

“Join you?”

Levi spared a second glance around the room. It was lived in. Evidence of her life was everywhere. He imagined she might even be happy. For she was certainly content. He had no confidence in his ability to convince her to leave this place.

His eyes shifted to one of her drawings. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure if he wanted to. Her cave was small. Perfect for just she and her things. It was safe from the elements and she even seemed to have access to some kind of food.

Who was he to convince her to leave it all?

He turned back. “We’re going to try to find a-” he hesitated at the word. Her wide brown eyes watched him, intent. “…A home.”

When she didn’t immediately speak, he continued on, “We’re looking for soil that can support produce.” He lifted his fingers in counting. “Drinkable water. Shelter.” He trailed off.

Was that all they needed? Erwin was really the crusader behind this venture – not he. Erwin should be explaining it to her. It had been a mistake to send Levi alone for this mission. He wasn’t convinced of the journey himself. How was he supposed to persuade someone else to take part in it?

And then warm fingers were squeezing his palms. It took a concerted effort not to jump back in surprise.

He looked down.

She had grabbed up his hands.

“Yes. I’ll come with you.”

She stared at him, earnest.

“Oh.”

He didn’t know what to say.

And then she was moving. “When do you leave the area? Today? Tomorrow?” She turned a circle, pushing her hair out of her face as she surveyed the clutter. “Now? I can be ready.”

“Why?”

She looked up, confused.

“Why do you want to leave all this?” He didn’t understand.

When she looked at him, her eyes were bright with something. Excitement? Hope?

“If the place you are looking for exists out there, somewhere, do you know what that would mean?”

Levi didn’t answer. He wasn’t sure he could.

Turning, she dropped to her knees beside the chair. With a hard push, she popped the front from it. Inside, was a small cupboard. Hanji reached in. From the darkness, she pulled a book. Its cover was scuffed and its pages yellowed. The title read: _An Abbreviated History of the World._

She reached in and pulled out another. It was a philosophy text.

The next was missing its cover and front page. The top page was filled with lines of small text.

She pulled out book after book until a stack of ten sat beside her. With a hand pressed flat over the pile, she looked up, eager.

“If we could manage it, to find a place which could fully sustain us – then, with _these,_ ” she tapped a reverent hand on the covers, “then we could rebuild _something_ again.” She breathed. “Imagine it. Not living to survive, but surviving to _live_.” She blinked up at him. “You understand?”

He didn’t. But he thought, maybe, he wanted to.

She was already moving again. Leather bag in hand, she began carefully piling the books inside.

“Those will be heavy.”

“They have to come.”

He looked dubiously at the bulging bag, but didn’t argue. He wouldn’t be the one breaking his back carrying it around.

She filled a pack with some of the papers and a few gadgets from the shelf. And last, grabbed a rifle from behind the chair. Gun under arm, she turned once before giving a crisp nod. “I’m ready.”

The room was full. Crowded still with so many of her things.

He looked at her two bags. There wouldn’t be room for much more on the road. But still – to have and then leave all these things…

In all his life he’d never had more than a handful of possessions at one time.

What must if feel like to leave behind so much?

“That all?” he asked, just to check.

She spared the room a final glance. He might have imagined the melancholic twist of her mouth. It was there and then it was gone. Shrugging the heavy book bag over her shoulder, she stood straight. And in that moment, she looked nothing but determined.

“It’s all I need.”

She took a lantern from the wall. Holding the bright flame before her, she led the way into the darkness. He followed, careful to stay within the flickering glow. The warm, crowded room was left behind them. Together, they followed the narrow, dark path through the hill. They didn’t speak but neither did they look back. For just ahead, indomitable and impatient, the desert awaited. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am just so utterly enamored with snk characters in the Mad Max Universe. I'm sure I'll add to the series every once in a while. I want to show Hanji and Levi getting closer as well as some of the happier (and sadder) moments since their group loses some members and gains a few new.
> 
> And who is the Wanderer? Levi? Hanji? Both? We Who Found Home offers a few clues ;)
> 
> Also I made some doodles (haha not very good ones) to go with the chapter. They're on my tumblr: http://just-quintessentially-me.tumblr.com/post/141203717011/levihan-au-week-levihanweek-iconic-movie-au


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